Score: Duquesne 79, VCU 70
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. (UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse)
Records: VCU 10-5 (1-1 Atlantic 10), Duquesne 12-4 (2-1)
 
The short story: Graduate forward Brandon Johns Jr. supplied a career-high 22 points for VCU, but it wasn't enough to lift the Rams out from under a big early deficit in a 79-70 loss at Duquesne.
 
OPENING TIP

• Johns poured in 18 of his 22 points in the second half as the Rams mounted a comeback. He connected on 9-of-12 attempts from the field, including 2-of-3 from the 3-point line. He also corralled six rebounds
• VCU redshirt sophomore guard Jamir Watkins added 18 points and four rebounds
• Four Rams scored in double figures overall, including sophomore guard Jayden Nunn, who connected on a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 13 points
• Jimmy Clark III led Duquesne's high-powered offense with a career-high 26 points. Dae Dae Grant and R.J. Gunn added 13 a piece

THE DIFFERENCE

• Duquesne buried seven first-half 3-pointers and owned a 24-14 rebounding advantage on the way to a 37-22 halftime lead. The Dukes led by as many as 22 points following a Gunn 3-pointer that made it 35-13 with 6:41 remaining in the period
• Duquesne shot .453 (29-of-64) from the field in the contest, including .440 (11-of-25) from 3-point range. Duquesne's 11 treys were the most allowed by the Rams this season
• VCU came out of the locker room in the second half swinging. Johns and senior forward David Shriver drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a 9-2 VCU run that cut the Duquesne lead to just seven, at 42-35 with 15:29 remaining. VCU closed the gap to seven on two other occasions, but each time, the Dukes had an answer. A Tevin Brewer steal set up a fast break bucket by Clark to give Duquesne a 54-45 lead with 12:07 on the clock, and the Rams spent the majority of the rest of the evening trying to climb out of a double-digit hole
• VCU shot just .269 (7-of-26) from the field in the first half. The Rams were 0-of-5 from 3-point range in the period 

NOTABLE

• Johns has recorded a pair of 20-point games for the Rams this season and four in his collegiate career
• VCU leads the all-time series with Duquesne 8-2
• The Rams shot .548 (17-of-31) from the floor in the second half, including .500 (7-of-14) from three
• Wednesday's loss snapped a season-high five game VCU win streak

NEXT UP
VCU will return home to face Davidson on Saturday, Jan. 7 at noon at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. That contest will air on USA Network.